Environmental Committment

Great Explorations is acutely aware of the fragility of our natural environment and committed in all of its operations to minimizing impacts and in donating in ways that will help. Here are some of the initiatives we have taken:

All employees either bicycle or walk to work.

Employees are committed to re-cycling and using re-cycled products where possible.

Our office space was modified to allow for increased natural light and fresh air so that use of electricity and air conditioning are minimized.

In choosing suppliers for our office operations, we have chosen companies who demonstrate a commitment to the environment. Examples: Novex Couriers, Mountain Equipment Co-op, Hemlock Printing and others.

In the regions in which we operate trips, we have looked for ‘good environmental practices’ as criteria in selecting hotels and suppliers.

We use ‘leave no trace’ practices on our trips- meaning we leave the environment as we found it. Our guides are trained to encourage participants on our trips to follow these same guidelines.

Our group sizes are kept small to ensure that our interaction with locals can be on a personal level- we feel this is important in making business sustainable.

In 2008, all air travel that company employees take will be offset through the purchase of carbon credits.

We have created events that raise awareness and funding for trails in British Columbia; these trails include the Sea to Sky, Sunshine Coast and Kettle Valley (Trans-Canada) Trail. In everything we do and in all of our communications, we promote travel by bicycle and on foot.

We donate to organizations such as Take a Hike Foundation, Whistler Blackcomb Foundation and others that support eco-friendly initiatives.

We recently created an annual grant to support the making of a film to encourage bike travel.